The rustic wolf spider is a dark brown, ground-hunting wolf spider with a pale stripe down its back. It's native to Europe and Asia and was brought to North America by people.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Females are about 5/8 in (15 mm) long and can reach 1 in (25 mm); males are about 3/8 in (10 mm). Both sexes are dark brown, with a pale band running down the middle of the head end and onto the front half of the abdomen. Two short dark lines on the head end are a sign of the genus Trochosa.
Look-alikes
Ground Wolf SpiderTrochosa terricola
Very similar. Look at the heart mark, a slim mark near the front of the back: it's light on the rustic wolf spider and dark on the ground wolf spider. A sure ID often needs a close look at the reproductive parts under magnification.
Why they get mixed upA close relative in the same genus with the same dark brown color and pale stripe.
Where it lives
- Range
- Native from Europe across Russia and Central Asia to China, Japan, and Korea. Introduced to North America, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. Which US states it lives in isn't confirmed here.
- Preferred conditions
- In Europe, where it's native, it lives at ground level in grassland, lawns, and scrubby woodland.
Behavior
- Activity
- Doesn't build a web. It roams the ground hunting prey, and it often turns up in pitfall traps used in insect surveys.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- The female carries her egg sac attached to the tip of her abdomen for about 3 weeks. When the spiderlings hatch, they ride on her back.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
More species to explore
Record what you meet and build your own collection
Your photos are kept with their date and place, and you can fill regional albums one species at a time.